Hydrogen storage systems utilizing flexible enclosure walls offer important advantages over conventional hydrogen storage systems including reduced weight, improved density of storage material and adaptability to small prismatic packages, all without sacrificing storage capacity.
However, such enclosure systems pose challenges for interface design since their principal dimensions change as a function of the state of charge of the storage material, such as storing hydrogen. The variable geometry of the flexible enclosure creates difficulty in interfacing with fluidic or support connections. The position of any openings or apertures which allow a fluid, such as hydrogen, to flow into or out of the enclosure may move as the state of charge varies. Also, the point of attachment of any interface fitting or connection to the enclosure can be subject to very high local strains as a rigid device is attached to a relatively flexible substrate.